Be Kind, Thrift and Rewind

A couple of months ago I decided to join some of the vintage, antique, and retro resale groups on Facebook. At first I was reluctant to add more and more posts to my news feed, but now after the fact, I am so glad I changed my mind and got a better attitude about joining these groups. The various posts by their diverse members are fun, and educational and brighten my days. I get to see so many pretty outfits and find out about some gorgeous pieces of antique jewelry. Now I look forward to enjoying these groups pretty much every day.

The groups I am in:

Vintage Pattern Bazaar

Ooh La La! Vintage Swap and Sell Shop

Vintage/Rare Sewing Pattern Exchange

We Sew Retro Buy & Sell & Trade

All Things Vintage, Antiques and Nostalgia

If you know of any other great group drop me a comment. These are the ones I have joined that display antique jewelry, vintage clothing, retro clothing, sewing patterns, and even antique china and art. Sets of linens dating back to 1800, plates and cups with covered wagons, all kinds of interesting finds, and many are for sale. Some are in the US and some are overseas. There are times that a member just posts a picture of themselves dressed up in a special outfit, particularly if they are sharing a special thanks to someone else in the group that they bought from.

The vintage pattern groups have patterns they sell and exchange, plus often they have vintage lace, elastic, or ribbons, for sale. If nothing else you can enjoy looking at the various patterns through the years.

Most of the groups have two thousand or more members. We Sew Retro Buy & Sell & Trade is the smallest one I am in with 1,800 members. Ooh La La! Vintage Swap and Sell Shop has 18,659 members! The group member’s sell clothing, jewelry and other vintage items in the US and worldwide. I see a lot of posts from the UK, but often they offer to ship internationally. The other good thing about these groups is that if you are a collector who doesn’t want to open an Etsy shop or sell at a flea market you could sell in these groups. Most groups have some basic rules as to being polite, what to post and what not to post, very basic guidelines.

Also some of the members are very interesting. There is one young lady who lives in Russia who regularly finds and shares some of the most amazing vintage photos. She is an art history major. Another woman had a photo of herself with walls from doll houses wrapped up in her hair. What an amazing profile picture. I recently ended up in a vintage clothing discussion with a young man who had some lovely pink vintage dresses that could lead any woman to a case of envy.

One of the pages I like that is not a member-based group is Boylerpf Antique Vintage Jewelry. The reason I mention it even though it is not an open group is that if you love vintage there is a huge amount of lovely jewelry being posted regularly. They have everything from ring collections to rare jewels and they also post pictures of pieces that are housed in special collection in museums, or perhaps private collections (the photos often say “with”….. meaning with either the photographer, or the owner I assume.)If you enjoy seeing these types of items it is worthwhile to like the page and see what they share. They recently shared a photo of a brooch by Salvador Dali made in 1949. It is called the Eye of Time. A blue-faced enamel watch is revealed in an open eye, which is surrounded by diamonds on platinum. A small ruby cabochon is the tear duct. This piece is so unique and beautiful. It is a treat to even see such an item.

My favorite piece they shared recently is an 18^th century German Chatelaine Perfume bottle made of hand-finished crystal. It is suspended from a silver chain with silver angels on the side. I am sorry I can’t share the photos with you. You have to either like the page for this jewelry business or join groups to see their particular photos.

I did search for some vintage pattern pictures on Flickr and I hope you enjoy those. Please stop by the comment section and share any other groups you find or know of. It would be fun to know what other readers are finding as well.

Also on the topic of resale vintage or thrifting, things further down the chain of mass production, recently I was quoted and my blog mentioned by another blogger, Nicole Molders, of High Latitude Style. She wrote a recent post called “6 thrifting blogger’s secrets for great fashion finds.” So if you’d like you could read that and visit Nicole’s blog. I was so excited that she asked me to participate in the post!

I hope all of you are looking forward to spring as much as I am. I have enjoyed winter and I was glad we had some snow. I am rather excited that spring is on its way though, along with all the flowers and buds and pretty leaves that come with it.

These photos link to Flickr

Vintage Embroidered Blouse And A 1930’s Style April Cornell Skirt

February 23, 2016

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Recently I finally got around to shortening this April Cornell skirt I bought sometime around 2001. Originally it was floor length but for one thing it couldn’t really fit my waistline anymore and for another I thought I’d wear it more if it was mid-calf length. I have always thought the blue velvet around the lower part of the skirt was gorgeous. It really makes the skirt elegant. The skirt always lent itself to a 1930’s look even when it was longer. When I shortened the skirt I took the fabric from the waist area. Then through the years I managed to find this black cotton blouse with the black embroidery along the front. Together I think they really create a nice pair for a 1930’s looking outfit.

I am not sure how old the blouse is. I think it may be from the 1930’s due to the pleated sections on the right and left of the blouse, in the front and back. The length of the blouse is short. At first I was tempted to add some black lace to the bottom to lengthen it but then when I was at the Pier Antique Show back in November of 2015 I saw a few very similar blouses and they all were this short length. So I decided to preserve it the way it was when I found it. The only other thought I had was to perhaps sew a small ribbon on the back so as to be able to tie it in the back. I did see one like that at the show but I still couldn’t bring myself to alter the original design of this blouse in any way. The blouses I saw that were similar to mine at the show cost anywhere from $125 to $200 dollars each! Recently I have, for the most part, been wearing the blouse with this skirt. I have also worn it with black jeans for a mix of modern and vintage. When I worked in the fashion industry I liked to wear it with a black pencil skirt. I always feel like my blouse is very unique.

The embroidery is what confuses me most about the timeline for when this blouse was made. I found on a fashion archive website that Joshua Heilmann designed an embroidery machine back in 1848. By the 1870’s there were apparently fourteen companies manufacturing embroidery machines in Switzerland. So this blouse could easily be from the 1930’s. The embroidery does look like it was sewn with a machine. If any of you reading this think the blouse is from a different timeline let me know in the comment section. I like how the black embroidery on black fabric kind of lends itself to white work, which was a type of embroidery very popular in the 1800’s, particularly with white stitches on white fabric. They were typically buttonhole stitches. White work is a fading craft and I myself hope to get into it someday before too long.

I haven’t been able to find any pictures of women wearing boots with their 1930’s dresses or outfits. They must have been cold at times and worn them. In the winter I tend to wear my outfit with black lace-up boots, which gives it a slight grunge look. I really like the grunge-vintage floral mix so that is fine with me.

Well I hope you enjoyed this post. Spring should be approaching soon but we have still had some bitter cold even as recent as last weekend. So I am still wearing my winter clothing and enjoying wearing my vintage sweaters and lots of layers.

1930's look vintage outfit

April Cornell skirt

1930's embroidered blouse

The Beauty That Is Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

February 11, 2016

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Ever since the early 1990’s I have considered Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to be a beautiful neighborhood. Even when it was still filled with gangs and constant violence I could see the potential in the few occasions when I took walks there. My artistic eye saw its promise. One of the gifts that a person who is capable of designing has is the ability to visually rehab or upcycle things in their mind. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen dresses or outfits and ripped them to shreds in my mind, then carefully rearranged them into something entirely different. I have always been able to view architecture the same way. If the structure looks stable enough on the outside I can see the possibilities. I believed in Bedford Stuyvesant and I held tight to the dream of what it could be.

When I moved back to Brooklyn in 2008 I aimed to be as close as possible to Bedford Stuyvesant. Gentrification in the area was happening at a slow but steady rate. A few years later the diversity skyrocketed and the remodels, rehabs, and rents all increased as well. My dream was to be a part of the Bedford Stuyvesant community during this time and to live in a brownstone. I managed to live in two brownstones during the years that I lived there. Each time they were flawed situations with having to share some common areas and not a total complete apartment of my own. The first actually was a rented room by the week in a run-down brownstone. After about eight months there I found a smaller space that had more privacy and a lease. It still had its flaws, not a total complete apartment but I wanted to remain in Bedford Stuyvesant longer so I signed the lease and rented some storage for my furniture, clothing, china, and art work that could not fit into my tiny studio. My place was on the border of Clinton Hill and Bedford Stuyvesant. That meant when the music that sang out from the mosque sounded a few times a day a sea of families from India, the Middle East, and Africa walked several blocks to attend the service. In the summer this is a truly beautiful sight since they have on their ethnic garments. The colors and variety of attire are a sight to see. In this community people live together as neighbors and often treat each other as brothers and sisters. This is another thing that makes Bedford Stuyvesant beautiful. There are a variety of establishments for dining and dancing, and the latest arrivals have been wine shops. Back when I first arrived there in 2008 there were very few shops to buy alcohol. With gentrification came wine shops where your salesman may be wearing a suit. Gluten-free crepes and cupcakes are now a block or two from the Nostrand Avenue stop. Another wonder of the neighborhood is a diverse variety of places to eat out on a budget that can vary from low-budget to higher-priced. The tenants in the area vary from very poor to wealthy, so there is something for everyone. I have been to the halal restaurants regularly for years and they are very low priced. If I want a more elegant experience I can head over to Alice’s Arbor on the border of Clinton Hill and Bedford Stuyvesant or down to Peaches for some down-home, good old Southern-style cooking. Either way I am always happy to be in the area.

The brownstones are old and well known in the city as being some of the most beautiful in the New York City area. In the fall an annual event is held where you can sign up to go see approximately a dozen open houses on a certain day. I went on this walk myself one year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time I am stopping for a sit-down lunch. My legs were just plain worn out from all the stairs I climbed to see the various floors of the brownstones. Some people buy the brownstones and modernize them, while others restore everything in the most antique way possible. One home even had a very antique mailbox. The handrails, interior wood, old glass on light fixtures and often statues in the hallways are just downright lovely. The outdoor stonework is unique and often very intricate. Many rooms had old fireplaces with beautiful carved wood or stonework around the mantel. I saw one house where the owner downstairs has created a garden that was fit for a palace. His bushes were rounded, trimmed and breathtaking. He had bought his home with other people or families, which is rather common today, and the various owners had all agreed to install a kitchen on every floor. I saw homes where the people living downstairs loved antiques, but on the second floor the interior decorations were ultra-modern. Either way in general the homes I saw and visited were beautiful. It also speaks loudly of this area that people can join forces and buy homes this way. Bedford Stuyvesant is a true melting pot and this something to be celebrated and enjoyed. It is no longer a “Bed Stuy do or die” neighborhood. When I moved in people slowed their cars and smiled saying “Welcome to the neighborhood!” Some owners resist remodeling and but even their brownstones can have some lovely old woodwork in them. The picture of the woman carrying a rosary is in an old brownstone that hasn’t been renovated in a very long time. Despite the shape of the interior the building even made “building of the day” back in 2011 for its previous renovation of the front entrance area, which sets it apart from the other houses on the block.

There are still blocks being restored in Stuyvesant Heights, which is the more elegant area of the community. The other areas in the community have also been undergoing numerous remodels and new buildings are being built all the time. Habitat for Humanity restored a few buildings a couple of years ago. One was in Ocean Hill, an eastern section of the neighborhood. Condos are being built along Bedford Avenue down near the Bedford Stuyvesant YWCA. Organic markets have been a common addition to the area the last couple of years. With the growth, more cafes and night clubs have cropped up too. Buses are a necessary part of life in the area if one doesn’t own a car. You can get around fairly quickly from an A train stop to the side streets and the buses head to other surrounding areas as well, such as Williamsburg, Flatbush, Downtown (Borough Hall), and Bushwick. The commute to Tribeca is a brief fifteen or twenty minutes on an A train. The prices of the brownstones have skyrocketed since the Barclay Center opened up. I was not too happy about that being opened since I lived within a fifteen minute walk from where the Barclay Center was built. I had to move anyway to get a real apartment – you know, one with all the areas being my own – and I had to get all my belongings out of storage so I could continue my life and have room to create arts and crafts. Life is full of trade-offs. Now I have rent stabilization but I live an express bus ride from Bedford Stuyvesant. I will always treasure that I was able to be there at such a pivotal time when it was rapidly changing and becoming the beautiful place that it is today. It is a good thing to dream and even a more wonderful experience to see your dreams become a reality.

Stuyvesant Avenue

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Stuyvesant Avenue

MacDonough Street

Halsey Street

Herkimer Street

Nostrand and Halsey – Adult Education Center

MacDonough Street

Halsey Street

Bedford Stuyvesant

Halsey Street

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Rehab anyone? I think it’d make a great vintage shop.

Homemade Soups from YouTube Recipes

February 6, 2016

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I haven’t done a post in about reducing packaging and making your own in a while. I like to make my own soups. It is only on extremely rare occasions that I will buy a canned or boxed soup that was processed. I like knowing how much salt I put into my soups. So many of the processed soups lean heavily on salt and I don’t do well with that. Plus they add red and green peppers, which I am allergic to.

When I had my foot surgery last September I wanted to have a way to make sure I got my veggies while sitting down with my foot propped up for six weeks. I ate more soup and sandwiches during those six weeks than I normally do! These soups were a major part of my diet while I was healing. I made them and froze them in advance so I’d have at least two weeks where I didn’t have to stand up and cook so much. I am not big on take out either, especially since I moved into an area where most of the food is West Indian and spicy. So miraculously I managed to make it through the six weeks with only going out for local takeout a couple of times!

These are the soups that I liked the best that I found on YouTube. I still buy cookbooks on occasion, or magazines with recipes. The internet certainly does have a huge amount of recipes and I definitely like the YouTube cooking videos.

The Chef Buck’s Lentil Soup with Ginger was a delicious twist on an old classic. The ginger definitely makes the soup unique. I really enjoyed his video and his suggestions that you could buy red lentils, since so many of us buy the brownish-green ones, which he called the “muddy green color,” and his remark “You don’t want to look like you are eating a bowl of mud.” Well I still have brownish-green lentils but I did go out and buy some red ones. He’s right, they do look more appetizing. I am not going to post all the videos in this post. If you click the link under the soup name it will lead you to the video. Chef Buck is the most amusing of the cooks, therefore I am posting his video.

I tried numerous carrot soups since I am just nuts for carrots. Unfortunately I felt that so many of the recipes were too milky, with coconut milk, too sweet, or just too creamy for my taste. After trying several recipes I finally found the One Pot Chef’s recipe for Roasted Carrot Soup and then I was happy. It does take a bit longer to make since you need to roast the carrots but in the end the soup is so simple and delicious, which is what I like about it.

The Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup I found in the video by Lauren Lobley. The recipe was created by Joy the Baker, who is a food blogger. The creaminess is added at the end of the cooking with cashew cream! Delicious and the cashews add some protein. Laura also taught me not to wash the mushrooms. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to wash them. She says they get “gummy and slimy, which is a big reason a lot of people don’t like mushrooms.” Just rubbing off debris does keep the mushrooms in better shape and they don’t get mushy.

One of my favorite soups is Easy Celery Soup. I like the recipe posted by Ravenlovely on YouTube. You can adjust the soup to be vegetarian by skipping the chicken bouillon cube or chicken broth (which I prefer to bouillon cubes); I make it both ways depending on what I want. The potato does make the soup creamier. I also found that if at the end you toss in a little raw parsley before you blend the soup that is yummy in the recipe. I prefer to add a bit less than twice the amount of water, or chicken broth, in ratio to the vegetables. I like my soups thicker than I think most people do. This soup is great when you are craving something salty and want a food that has a naturally salty flavor.

As far as bouillon cubes go I normally haven’t used them. I remain reluctant to buy something with so much sodium and possibly MSG. Recently I found a product made by a company called Massel that manufactures bouillon cubes that are gluten-free, lactose-free, trans-fat-free, cholesterol-free, have no animal content and no added MSG. They have various flavors. The chicken one does kind of taste like chicken broth. I buy the beef style, vegetable, and chicken cubes. I just use small amounts due to the sodium but I do like them. They also cost significantly less than buying processed broths.

The other soup I liked a lot a new one I found, was by Miriam’s Kitchen. Her Egyptian Lentil Soup was delicious. I just didn’t add the little pasta pieces in the recipe at the end of the video, since I am on a gluten-free diet. If you like Middle Eastern food and want to tie yourself to the stove, like I sometimes do, you might want to check out her other videos.

That’s a Southern thing – “the tie yourself to the stove” expression. I grew up with this image that a woman was supposed to be tied to a stove, especially if she was married. My grandmother instilled this idea in my mind. As I grew up I realized in today’s world it is very difficult for a woman to do all the things grandma told me a wife is supposed to do. I remember when once my ex-husband said, “You know you didn’t have to cook all the time. I would have been fine with a sandwich sometimes!” It sure is nice when guys do the dishes or even cook. My step-father, who passed away two years ago, loved to cook. He was one of the best cooks I ever met. My mother likes to tease that she married him for the recipes.

Well I hope you enjoyed this post about various soups that I have enjoyed making. I eat soups year- round since I seem to have an easier time digesting cooked foods as opposed to raw. Plus they are a delicious way to get your veggies and we all know lentils are a great source of protein and fiber.

soup recipes from YouTube

Be Kind, Thrift and Rewind

To be conscious of recycling

For Fun Vintage, Antique, and Retro Resale Groups on Facebook

Vintage Embroidered Blouse And A 1930’s Style April Cornell Skirt

The Beauty That Is Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

Homemade Soups from YouTube Recipes